Rarely the way you expect
by ShelLaura
Summary: Hotch/Reid slash. The team was having a festive potluck dinner but things rarely go the way you expect them to. Written for the CCOAC Christmas Gift Fic Exchange, for W8ing4u. One-Shot.


**Author's note: This is for the CCOAC Christmas Gift Fic Exchange and was written for W8ing4u, whose promts were The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), garland, last minute shopping and spiked eggnog. **

The Christmas present Agent Hotchner got for his team was two and a half weeks off of work. Everybody wanted to spend the holidays with their families but since the team considered themselves family as well, they decided to have a potluck dinner the night before Christmas Eve. Because the budget cuts of the FBI had an impact on their Christmas bonus, they agreed on not gifting this year. The food everybody was taking to Hotch's place would be their expression of thanks to each other.

Rossi would bring an Italian Christmas appetizer, Garcia and JJ were preparing roast turkey along with vegetable side dishes, Morgan promised a festive salad, Prentiss said she would take care of the dessert and Reid offered to make eggnog.

When he had said that, the whole team had stared at him incredulously because it was the last thing they had been expecting. Reid just smiled in a way that warmed Hotch's heart and said, "Turns out I am a master when it comes to making eggnog".

They had laughed and then Rossi had teased Aaron that as self-proclaimed host his sole responsibilities were the beverages.

Hotch thought about it now as he opened the door for Dave, the first to arrive. The man immediately headed to the kitchen to transfer his soup dish into one of Aaron's bowls.

"Aaron?", he called and when Hotch joined him in the kitchen he pointed to the doorway to the dining room. "What is this?"

"It's mistletoe", the younger of the two replied, carefully keeping his face as neutral as possible.

"I know but what is it doing there?", Rossi asked and turned back to the tableware.

"It's a Christmas decoration", Aaron said but he knew his oldest friend had seen through him.

"You know, just because it's there doesn't mean you get to kiss him", David said casually, "Other people are gonna be here as well"

"You think I should take it down?", Aaron asked.

"All I am saying is that things rarely end up the way we expect them to. If you're willing to take the risk that somebody else kisses the kid, then leave it"

"He's not a kid", Hotch murmured as he removed the mistletoe and hid it under the sink.

"Oh, I know", Rossi smirked.

The doorbell rang and Hotch welcomed Prentiss and Morgan, who had apparently come together. Both of them set their food down in Hotch's kitchen as well, before sitting down in his living room where he offered them some fruit punch. Not long after, Reid arrived, followed closely by JJ and Will and Garcia and Kevin.

As soon as everybody was there, Rossi served his 'primo', a soup with filled pasta boiled in meat broth. Garcia growled a little as she watched the others eat, she turned down the soup telling Rossi that she didn't eat red meat and that by now he should already know. He apologized to her and promised to make a vegetarian, fish or poultry dish next time. When they were finished, Hotch attended to his duties as host, cleared up and served the main course.

Garcia and JJ had outdone themselves, the turkey was delicious and Kevin and Will smiled at each other, proud to be on the receiving end of their delicacies on a regular basis. They had almost finished when Morgan reminded Hotch of his salad. The unit chief almost raced to the kitchen to get the salad bowl and the team laughed at the sight, so much that Prentiss almost choked on a brussels sprout.

"See, that is exactly why I don't eat those", Reid said who had only piled up mashed potatoes next to his slice of turkey and also refused to eat the spinach leaves in Morgan's salad.

After Hotch had again removed all the plates from the dinner table, they decided on a short break before moving on to the dessert. Hotch wanted to place at least some plates into the dishwasher before heading back to his guests but then Reid unexpectedly joined him in the kitchen.

"You need any help?", the brown haired man asked and Hotch let a smile tug at his lips.

"No, thank you"

"Should I, um, serve the eggnog now?", Spencer asked and tapped his toes.

"If you want to", Hotch looked at Reid and let his smile grow a little wider.

The genius smiled back and so Aaron placed nine shot glasses in front of him. Before he could fill them though, Morgan joined the two men in the kitchen.

"Ooh yes, the eggnog. Hey, let me try it first. I don't quite believe the master thing", he said and poured some into one of the glasses and took a sip. "Mhh, not that bad, but a little mild. Hotch, you got some rum?"

"No, but there's whiskey in the liquor cabinet", Hotch said and went to get it.

When he came back, Reid looked like he was about to head back to the dining room but Morgan caught him in the doorway and ruffled his hair. "You need to loosen up a little"

Aaron mentally thanked David for making him take the mistletoe down as he handed Morgan the bottle.

Spencer smiled at Aaron before he left the kitchen, the older man gazed after him and did not notice how much alcohol Morgan stirred into the eggnog. Derek poured the beverage in the small glasses and together with Hotch carried them into the dining room.

They emptied them chattering and laughing, some of them demanded a refill, but then JJ looked at her watch and said, "Will and I have to leave soon, we promised the nanny we'd be back by midnight but I wouldn't want to miss Emily's roulade for the world"

"Already on it", Hotch said and left for the kitchen again, faintly hearing Prentiss say, "It's called bûche de noël"

Reid joined him again in the kitchen and helped him cut the cake and place a slice on each of the little plates. Before he helped Hotch serve them however, he grabbed the pot of eggnog and carried it out to the dining room as well.

Morgan and Rossi let Reid fill their shot glasses a third time, the other ones declined and so Reid ended up drinking the rest.

When JJ and Will packed up to leave, Reid hugged JJ and not quite slurred, "Make sure Henry has a great Christmas"

"We will", said JJ, then she hugged Emily and Penelope as well. She and Will wished everybody happy holidays and left.

The team made their way back into the dining room where some got seconds on Prentiss' dessert. Reid however went to one of the windows and played with the garland hanging above it.

"You okay there, pretty boy?", Morgan asked.

Reid snorted. He pulled the garland down and moved towards the dining table. "Why do you keep calling me that when Hotch is so much prettier than me?", he said and placed the garland around Hotch's neck like a boa. Aaron swallowed while the rest of the table burst out laughing.

"I'm serious", Reid said and sat back down. He chugged down what was left of the eggnog.

"Reid, how much liquor did you put in this thing?", Prentiss asked.

"Morgan spiked the eggnog", Hotch said before Reid could answer.

"I made it the way I always make it", Spencer said.

"Yeah, with way too little alcohol", Morgan replied and raised his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Leave me alone", Spencer said and took a big bite of bûche de noël.

When they were all completely full, Hotch cleaned up the plates for the last time that day.

"That was some damn fine food, thanks everybody", Morgan said, "I probably should head out, I have a plane to catch tomorrow"

"Right, you're going to Chicago. Oh, have fun, handsome", Garcia said and kissed his cheek.

"That means I gotta leave too, he was my ride here and he drank more than I did so I have to drive him now", Emily said and she and Morgan left after wishing them all the best for the holidays.

The remaining guests and Hotch went to his living room and settled onto the couch again. Somehow the subject of their conversation changed to children and after Kevin told a story about his niece, Garcia asked what Hotch was giving Jack this Christmas.

"Some books. DVDs. Clothes. And a dinosaur model building set", Aaron said and smiled as he thought about his son's current obsession with dinosaurs.

"I wanted a pyramid building set", Reid said sleepily. "It was the only wish I had for Santa. But then my father left and so did Santa. My mother and I never really celebrated Christmas anymore after that. I thought it was my fault, because I wanted the pyramid building set", they could hear Spencer drift off as his words got more and more unintelligible, "But... was the only thing I wanted"

Rossi chuckled and Garcia said, "Oh my, he's asleep", when there was a quiet snore.

Hotch stood up and went to get a blanket for their youngest team member.

When he got back Garcia just got off the phone.

"I called a cab. It's pretty late. We don't want to keep you up any longer", Garcia said.

"Is, um, is he gonna sleep here?", Kevin asked and pointed at Spencer.

Garcia elbowed him.

"Of course he is", Rossi said and his eye twitched in a wink like movement.

Aaron just sighed.

When the taxi drove up he brought his friends to the door and wished them a merry Christmas. Then he went back to the living room and looked at the dormant form on his couch. He adjusted Spencer's feet so he would find his sleeping position more comfortable and placed a pillow under his head.

His wish to celebrate Christmas together with Spencer was stronger than ever, after hearing about his painful experience, which could also possibly imply that he would spend the holidays alone. He was going to ask Spencer tomorrow. With that promising thought he went to bed.

When he woke up the next morning the first thing he realized though, was that he didn't have a present for Spencer. He turned the idea of quickly rushing to the city while Reid was still asleep over in his mind and decided to do it. As he locked the door, he hoped, almost prayed, that Reid would not wake up to find himself confined in Hotchner's home.

Aaron wasn't one to go shopping for gifts last minute and as he struggled his way through the crush of people in the department store he remembered why. He scanned the shelves of kids' toys frantically for a pyramid building set. He only found one from LEGO and when he asked an employee for an older model she told him that 'retro presents' were sold out. He thought about checking other stores, but when he remembered Spencer could wake up any minute, he rushed to the cash desk.

When he unlocked the door to his house he was so nervous he almost dropped his keys. Luckily for him though, it appeared that Spencer had not moved. He was still on the couch, still asleep, still snoring slightly.

Aaron wrapped the gift and put it in his closet together with the ones he had hidden from Jack there. Since he was here, he fumbled for some clothes that had grown a little tight for him, trusting that they would somewhat fit Spencer.

He placed them on the coffee table next to the couch together with a glass of water, then he went to the kitchen and started making lunch.

After a few minutes Spencer padded in. "Where's Jack?", he asked in a drowsy voice.

"He's still with Jess. She's gonna bring him over for dinner", Hotch replied and had to resist the urge to touch the young man's mussed hair.

"Oh, I thought you left the house to get him. Must have still been dreaming that", Spencer said and laughed. Aaron said nothing. "Anyway, I'm really sorry for falling asleep last night..."

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Reid, can I ask you something?", Hotch said as he dried his hands with a kitchen towel.

"Sure"

"What are your plans for Christmas?"

"For Christmas Eve or for Christmas Morning? I haven't planned anything for either. I'll probably just be at home and watch TV, why?", Reid said.

"Because I wanted to ask if you would like to spend Christmas, both Eve and Morning, together with me and Jack", Aaron said.

"Really? Are you sure?", Spencer said and his eyes lit up.

"Yes, I am sure"

"I wouldn't be intruding any father son-"

"You wouldn't be intruding anything", the older man interrupted him. "Jess is gonna be there for the dinner tonight too and frankly I don't always enjoy her company. Yours however, I do. And I'd love for you and Jack to get to know each other better. I know he wants to, he was always very impressed when you guys met"

"He's the only kid who's immune to the Reid Effect", Spencer laughed, "Aaron, that sounds wonderful, I'd love to spend Christmas with you"

The two men smiled at each other for a few moments until Spencer cleared his throat. "I should probably go home and change clothes, right?"

"You don't have to, you can have some of mine. I already put something next to the couch... Of course you can go home if you want to", Hotch said and felt a little stupid. Especially considering the last minute shopping rush he'd had this morning when he could have waited for Spencer to go home and do it then, halfway at ease.

"If you're sure you don't mind me staying", Reid said hopefully.

"No, not at all. Feel free to use the bathroom to shower. Ask me if you need anything. I should be done here in about twenty minutes, then we can eat"

Spencer took a shower and put on Aaron's clothes. They were a little big but it didn't look too bad and Spencer seemed very happy to be wearing them. After they ate lunch, Spencer helped Aaron clean the kitchen and the dining room and then they watched a Christmas song special on TV. Spencer confessed that The Christmas Song was his favorite. Aaron grinned and rummaged around his CD collection to produce a Nat King Cole album that featured this song. They listened to it until Jessica and Jack arrived.

Dinner went very well. Jack was a little nervous about the following day, saying he'd been a good boy but he wasn't sure if good enough. Aaron tried to reassure him but only Spencer managed to calm him by telling him all sorts of random facts about Christmas.

When Jessica said goodbye she gave Aaron a meaningful glance but it was void of any malice.

Aaron brought Jack to bed, telling him once again he was sure Santa would bring him presents before reading him a bedtime story. Then he joined Spencer in the living room.

"Even though he's so young, Jack is already so much like you", he smiled at Aaron.

The black haired man frowned. "Is that really a good thing?"

"Are you kidding? That's the best thing!", he said and swatted Hotch's arm. When he realized what he had done Spencer gasped. "Oh God, Hotch, I am sorry"

"Don't be and it's Aaron in here", he said and this time it was him who smiled.

When Spencer yawned in the middle of a lecture about Hanukkah, Aaron got up and fetched a pajama for him.

"This time you're sleeping in the guestroom though", he ordered and when Spencer argued that he didn't have to, that the couch was fine, Aaron added, "Otherwise I'm just gonna drag you to my bed"

Spencer blushed, then mumbled something and went to the bathroom to get ready. Meanwhile Aaron put fresh linen on the bed in the guest room. Then he got all the presents from his room and put them under the Christmas tree in the living room.

Aaron and Spencer said goodnight awkwardly and each went to their bed.

The next morning a squealing Jack woke both men and when all three of them, still in pajamas, had gathered in the living room, Aaron allowed his son to open the presents after he had removed one of them.

"This one is for you", he said and handed it to Spencer.

The young man paled and stuttered, "But we said we wouldn't... I don't have anything..."

Aaron couldn't help but reach out and stroke his cheek. "I know we said we wouldn't but I had to. And believe me, the fact that you're here is the most wonderful gift"

Spencer swallowed and when he unwrapped the present his eyes started to glisten. "Thank you", he whispered and set the pyramid set down to wipe at his face with his sleeves.

Jack ran towards it and said, "Wow, that is cool. Can I play with it too sometime?"

"Jack, that's Spencer's present", and only then did he realize that it might have not been the best idea to give a children's gift to a man he had romantic feelings for.

But Spencer looked happy and he told Jack, "Of course you can. If you want to, we can build the pyramids together"

"That would be awesome", said Jack and went back to unpacking.

Aaron went into the kitchen and retrieved the mistletoe, hung it back up and called Spencer. He had to act, now or never.

"I told you about the pyramid set the night before last, when did you have the time to get it?", Spencer asked as he entered the kitchen.

"When you thought I left the house to get Jack, that was what I got. I'm sorry it's just a modern one. I'm sure the one you wanted was wooden and much..."

"Hotch, Hotch! Aaron", Spencer stopped him. "It's not about the set as much as about the gesture. But it's a great present, especially when I can use it together with Jack. So thank you"

"You're welcome", Aaron said and took a deep breath. "I have something else"

"Another present?", Reid asked.

"I don't know if you can call it that", Hotch said before taking one of the other man's hands in his to lead him under the doorway.

When Spencer frowned, Aaron pointed up. Spencer's eyes widened when he saw the mistletoe.

"Only if you want to, of course", Hotch said and looked down at the floor.

"Of course I want to", Spencer said, "When I came here two nights ago, I looked all over for one"

"It was there, two nights ago, but David made me take it down. Well, he didn't make me but he said..."

"Aaron!", Spencer hissed. "Are you going to make use of it now or what?"

Aaron chuckled and leaned in, finally kissing Spencer.


End file.
